Internal politics behind banning play?

Play 'Hingadra Dot Comedy' had packed houses for shows

The most popular play of Rangayana in recent days, in the city, ‘Hingadra Dot Comedy’ that created history by witnessing packed houses for six shows has been banned, following a decision by the new director H Janardhan (Janni).

Even though Janni said, he took a decision to stop staging of the comedy play as he found the body language of the characters indecent, sources said, senior artistes of Rangayana, who have arrived after cancelation of their transfer to other Rangayanas in the state, have pressurised the director to stop the show.

It has to be recalled that the play ‘Hingadra Dot Comedy’ was received well by the audience, theatre enthusiasts of Mysore, and emerged as a show-stopper of Rangayana. In the history of Rangayana, the play recorded the highest number of audience, with all six shows, on six consecutive days, showing houseful.

An artiste, a part of the play, speaking to Deccan Herald on condition of anonymous said, staging of ‘Hingadra Dot Comedy’ was stopped without either holding any consultation with those involved in the project or informing them. This was a deliberate decision of the director of the Rangayana after his nomination to the post recently.

Arrival of senior artistes

After the arrival of senior artistes from Dharwad and Shimoga, those who have pursued diploma at Ranga Shikshana, after the cancelation of their transfer made by the then BJP government, have mounted pressure on the director to stop the show, the artiste said.

According to sources, the senior artistes, upon their return to the city, were unable to accept the success of the play exhibited by the juniors (present students of Ranga Shikshana) and exerted pressure to stop the show.

The play, supposed to be staged during Dasara, as part of ‘Navaratri Rangotsava’, was deleted from the list without any notice to the artistes involved.

Sources say, earlier, the play was scheduled to be staged in Delhi, Chandigarh and Gurgaon as part of the repertory.

 Due the recent decision of the director, the play was replaced by ‘Beechi Bullets’, performed by the recently returned artistes.

‘Philosophically poor’

Janardhan said, the play was technically and philosophically poor. It contained some low standard jokes, gestures and postures, humiliating the audience. The show might have received good response from the crowd, but it does not make the play ‘acceptable’.

When asked, if the decision was taken with the knowledge of the director of the play, he said, it is the decision of the Rangayana and sharing the decision with the play director is left to the discretion of the repertory.

Yeshwant Sirdeshpande, director of the play, having no knowledge of the decision of Janardhan until Deccan Herald spoke to him, said, artistes are being deprived of the right to expression. 

“This play attracted the maximum number of audience. People are not fools to accept any cheap comedy. I am in the field of theater for more than three decades now and I don’t direct any low standard comedy that would tarnish my reputation,” he said.